The Trading Were
by Hector Flores
Summary: What if Lawrence actually received something during his childhood? What if it was something that would change him forever? Something that a wolf deity in a far village would find most appealing. Love can be found in the strangest of place and the road can be a lonely place.
1. Chapter 1

This is a spice and wolf fanfiction only.

I guess you could say I am a trader by profession, but a hunter by nature. I once was an innocent trader buying and selling of goods between villages, but as I once traveled through a forest I was attacked by a rather smart, vicious, and fearless wolf.

When my encounter with the wolf ended, I managed to escape with my life, but not my health it would seem. As a young orphan at the age of nine most expected for me to die from the fever, sometimes back then I wish it had killed me.

You must be asking yourself why would I feel that way then? It's quite simple, the encounter caused the wolf to bite me and scratch me several times and this cause me to become ill. I lost a good amount of money on trading opportunities, but the worst was my so called innocence was shattered into a million pieces.

You see I came to realize that I contracted an illness, one that had no cure and would forever change the way I looked at the world and my life. On the first full moon, I felt a ravenous hunger, nothing like I ever felt before. I found myself chasing and killing a few rabbits, I killed them with my hands, and ate their meat as my mouth tore the flesh from their bones.

I was busy washing my hands and mouth until I saw the reflection of myself on the water of the river. I had changed so drastically that I barely recognized myself. I knew what had happened to me, and I knew humans, the ones I consider myself once a member of their kind, would hunt me down should they know of my condition.

For you see I contracted a rare, and hated illness and that illness is called Lycanthropy, meaning from the age of nine onward I was no longer considered a human, I was a werewolf.

Humans often think they know the world, but if my childhood taught me anything after my change was that humans don't see the world or at least they don't see it as well or as much of it as I could.

This illness sharpened my senses to knife's edge, and my senses told me when a lie was told, or when a trap was in my way. This allowed me to become quite the success, so much so that I spent more time hunting than trading for the ten years I called my childhood.

No matter the weather the moon always seem to be enchanting to me, I could stare at it for hours and never get tired. The full moon was especially so, the light made the world look more beautiful, and the night more pleasant.

I am currently nineteen years old, and in my years of trading, I became rather used to the ways of human trading, even if I prefer the company of wolves. My next stop was to see if I could purchase some wheat in the local trade center, and maybe go and see my old mentor and his daughter.

The price for the wheat was actually the salt I bought in a different town. I often did this when traveling alone. I would exchange one item for another and thus I would not need to carry money thus lowering my chances of getting robbed.

Not that it would matter, my claws were more than enough to take care of some lowly bandits.

As I made it into the village I saw them cutting and gathering the wheat. They sure looked happy that they had such a bountiful harvest, and many of them were actually already drinking. I looked at an old friend and decided to ask him a question.

"Hey, Lawrence nice of you to come and join us for the festivities. If you are looking for Cloe you are out of luck, she was the one chosen to be Holo this time around."

I couldn't help but laugh as he said that, "Cloe? As the wise wolf? What's next she is becoming a nun in that chapel I just went by? You know the armed guard that inspected my cart called all of your pagans."

One of the guys laughed as I said that and I heard him say something that made me laugh too. "And he told his to a werewolf of all people? Honestly, Lawrence, we don't worship that old wolf, we just like a good time after a tough harvest season that's all."

As the last of the wheat was collected I saw Cloe ran towards my cart and jump up to where I was sitting. "Long time since last I saw you, Kraft Lawrence, We need to catch up later, we are drinking together, your treat."

I looked at my friend as she ran towards the mill. Her father looked at me and was shaking his head, "You know my baby girl has quite the crush on you Lawrence. I guess I shouldn't complain, you are not such a bad guy after all."

I looked at my friend and long time trade contact and I tried hard not to smile. "I would think that you would not let one of your flock to get so interested in a person like me. You know how much of a wolf in cheap clothing I am."

"Well I don't care one bit, you and your wolf side are always welcome with me. Heck, we worshiped a wolf deity for generations here. You might want to take care of your horse however, I think he needs a drink of water. There is a nice clean stream a few hundred yards but I don't really need to tell you that do I?"

He was right, thanks to my condition I knew perfectly well the river was clean and safe to drink from. I left towards the river on my cart and just as soon as I got far away enough I unhitched my horse and let him have a drink from the river.

I walked over to my cart, and I looked at my covered cargo. The cart had a heavy cloth covering my cargo to keep thieves from looking in my cart, and to keep the goods from being damaged.

"So how long do you plan to sit in there without introducing yourself?" No response, I decided to take the cover off and boy did I get an eyeful. Those ears, her lips, her sizable breasts, the texture of her skin, not to mention the scent of her fur.

I touched her shoulder and tried my best to wake her up. "I must have fallen asleep, these furs are rather nice and warm, it helps with the coldness in the air. So you noticed me entering your cart, not bad for a human. I, however, expect a more respectful touch from one of those that worship me."

I looked at her and I must admit I was a bit upset at what she said. I had long given up being called human and in fact, I found it rather offensive. "I am not from the village that worships you Holo. Kindly don't call me a human, I don't particularly like it when people call me that."

She looked at me and grinned as she got down from the cart. "You look like a human, if you aren't a human which you look like one, then what exactly do you think you are?"

I guess a little demonstration was called for. I took a deep breath and decided to do a traditional wolf greeting. I let out my howl and even my horse was spooked by it. "It's impolite not to send a greeting back Holo."

I could not say it, but I liked the look of surprise on her face. I guess she got used to the smell of humans that she forgot there were people like me. "I demand that you drop this disguise and show me your true form!" I was not expecting the naked beauty in front of me to make that demand.

"I normally wouldn't. It's tradition to only show your true form to family or your mate. Since you are Holo, the wise wolf, I guess I should make an exception. I take off my clothes and drop on all fours. The change is much more rapid and less painful than when I was younger.

As I finish changing I see the smile on her lips, and I could smell something that was almost alluring coming off from her. I sat down and looked at her until she began to rub her nose against mine. I waited until she was done so that I could get back up and while standing I changed back into my human form.

"I never expected you to be a were, I need to know your name since you already know mine." She was pressing against me and I could feel her body against mine. She must be excited, cause her nipples were pushing against me and I think she was even in heat if the scent I got was correct.

"Kraft Lawrence, werewolf trader by profession. It's nice to meet you Holo, mind helping me out with a little problem I have?" She smiled and nodded her head. I told her I had some women's clothes in the cart she could wear.


	2. Chapter 2

This is a spice and wolf fanfiction only.

A few hours later of much pleasant conversation, and by conversation I don't mean in the human language. I could spend days talking with her and never run out of things to talk about, the only negative is that her scent was making it hard for me to concentrate, and much more so since she was currently sitting on my lap.

My plan was simple and yet some people might consider it cruel. Holo agreed to help deal with the human teenager who had a crush on me, last thing I needed was a human thinking that they had a chance with me. They brought all sort of troubles.

The church had no problem with a couple of werewolves falling in love, even marrying. In fact they actually held weddings for them. The problem was they would never allow a werewolf and a human to even consider dating. It was an violation of their principals to even consider it.

Several werewolves had tried to establish a romantic relationship with humans, but they never ended well. It either caused problems due to the fact that we live longer than most humans or the church would send assassins to kill them both if they let down their guard.

Wolves mate for life and my kind were no different. Should I give in to my urges and Holo be willing. I would never consider being with another female for as long as I live.

I took my cart to the only bar in the entire village and people saw Holo walking close to me and thought it was strange since last time I was in the village I had no one with me.

She sat down right next to me and like a true actress she placed her hand on mine and leaned close to me. I could feel the glare Cloe as she walked into the bar and saw us.

She walked straight to our table where there were three mugs of beer ready, cold and paid in full. She sat down and took one of the mugs and took a big gulp from it.

"So tell me Lawrence who is this young woman with you? And why is she so close to you?" Holo took a gulp of her beer and without warning gave me a kiss on my lips. It wasn't your ordinary kiss either.

As the kiss ended I could see Cloe glaring once again. "Well I think introductions are in order, This is Holly Lawrence, and this is my good friend and former apprentice Cloe, Holly don't be shy say hello to my friend here."

She removed the cowl of her cloak and her ears were there for all to see. "Honey, It's not like I don't want to say hello, but her constant glaring makes me feel uncomfortable."

That was when she really got angry and took another gulp of her beer. "Why does she call you Honey? Anything you want to tell me Lawrence? And don't lie to me even I can tell she is the demon Holo who we have been forced to worship for so long."

I took my first sip of my beer and looked at her as she was a human, a human full of prejudice and ill formed ideas. "The reason she calls me Honey is quite obvious, and she is not your so called Deity, she is Holly and she is my wife. I think our daughters will one day find this story quite funny don't you, my love?"

"You know full well that the church discourages intermarriages between humans and the werefolk don't you? Even to the point of death. I got to tell you I am flattered that you had feelings for me Cloe, but they would never work out. My place is with those of my kind."

Holo finally decided to lean closer to me and nodded her head. "Indeed, my love. Your place is with me after all we have mated more than a few times. Once a couple of werewolves mate they are united for life. Too bad your church doesn't allow it, my husband can be quite inventive when it comes to mating."

I could feel myself blushing three shades of red when I heard what she said. "I actually had my wife here find us a nice place for our horse to eat, and that is why you didn't see her when I came to the village a few hours ago. Sorry to break it to you Cloe, but my heart is already spoken for."

She finished her beer in record time, I couldn't drink it that fast, and I am a werewolf. "And here I was thinking of offering a business opportunity, a chance to open a shop and even help you settle down and maybe even be your wife. I know what the church says but give them enough money and they would have ignored us."

She began to glare at Holo again, "But instead of hearing my business proposal, and give me a chance to make you happy, you come to meet me with HER, and she claimed you before even I could propose to you."

I leaned close enough to place my hand on her shoulder. "This is my mate, and nothing you say or do will ever change that Cloe. You are young, talented and very pretty. You will have many men trying to gain your affection one day, but never I. My heart already has an owner, and I rather die than be separated from her."

I could see Cloe's eye being to show signs that she was going to cry. I helped Holo stand up and helped her get her cowl on. I leaned close to her as we stood in front of each other and I kissed her, I left no chance of misinterpretation, this was not the kiss of someone who was her occasional friend or lover, it was the kiss a married man would give his wife, to show her he still very much loved her.

I left with her and I knew that Cloe would be hurt by my rejection, but the consequences were simply to grave to consider. The other side is that ever since I met her and smelled her scent I knew that calling her my mate had not been an excuse at all. It was a fact, I was simply waiting to hear her acknowledge it.

As soon as we were on the cart and a few miles away from the village she decided to speak, "You know that you probably will never be able to buy wheat there again, don't you? She seemed like she really loved you Lawrence, mind telling me why did you have to go this far?"

I looked at her and then at the dark road as we continued to ride my cart. "I know that she supposedly loves me, but I never felt attracted to her scent, I smelled her scent for years and I felt nothing at all. The second I smelled your scent I knew that I wanted you near me. Maybe I am reading too much into this Holo, but when I said I was with my mate I didn't feel like it was a lie."

I could hear her heartbeat and I knew that she agreed with me. "You know Lawrence I was always made fun of back home since I was the only wolf that never had a mate, I guess I know why. I was waiting for my mate, the wolf in cheap clothing it seems."

I looked at her, "I will have you know I collected those clothes for years, they are some of the finest clothes I ever found. I did not get some other essentials, such as a comb for your lovely fur, or much needed flea powder. I was told those pelts had been treated against fleas."

I killed one of them as soon as we got to one of the rivers and she took control of the reins of our horse, I should say my horse but then again she was my mate by my own admission so what is mine is hers too.

"So tell me Lawrence when did you first notice I was in heat?" I nearly choked on some water I was drinking from a canteen when she said that. "Don't give me that look, I can tell the condition of my body and you said you found my scent appealing, which means you want to mate."

"So since when have you been fighting the urge to place me on those pelts and savagely have your way with me? As your mate I deserve to know." I wanted to lie, and I mean lie more than a loan shark.

"Since I first met you, I been fighting my instincts since we first met. I do want to feel you, mate with you, and enjoy the absolute pleasure of being one with you, but I will not do so without your consent. Mark my words Holo, if you ever wish to mate with me you will have to tell me when and where."

She laughed as I said that and leaned close to me, "I must be the luckiest mate in the entire world, who knew that when I met my mate he would be the most kind, tender, considerate and respectful wolf I ever met. It seems it was worth it to stand against all those comments and insults to wait till I found you."

"I will tell you that we must return to the forest one of these days, I particularly like the forest I used to call my home. It's in the lands of the north, where the trees as covered in snow, and the land is a silvery wonderland."

I smiled at her and then returned to looking at the road as I took control of the reins from her. "I wouldn't mind having yet another reason to be close to you. The only drawback I see if that we are going to have quite the large number of mouths to feed."

She playfully punched me on my shoulder and leaned close to me. "Like I would mind having a large family, the filthy humans kill us for fun, you and I probably are going to be the ones that keep our kind from going extinct. That is quite a bit of pressure, do you still think you can perform?"

Now not only did I feel embarrassed, I felt insulted too. "If you say that again, I am liable to lift your skirt, have you wrap your legs around my waist and take you right on this cart, just as we keep traveling."

She laughed and she began shaking her head at least that is what I know from the way her fur of her head rubbed against my side. "No, I rather keep our mating private. You don't know how many people might actually be looking at us right now."

I looked at her and smiled, "Thirteen farmers, Five Workers, Two Hunters, a Fisherman and a single lady Painter. I can smell my surrounding just as well as you can, my love."


	3. Chapter 3

This is a spice and wolf fanfiction only.

We finally reach our destination, if only to sell these furs my cart was carrying. I looked around and see that Holo is actually looking at a stall full of apples. "You know those apples smell rather good, say what don't we buy a few dozen."

She nearly jumps from sheer joy as I said that, I walked over to the stall and looked at the man selling the fruit. "Excuse me but I need to buy two dozen apples, my wife's got a bad case of the munchies."

The man was old, almost bald, a little bit on the pudgy side and was smiling at her and then at me. "No need to worry young man, I remember my late wife's food cravings. I will do you one better, it's not every day we see a couple of traders traveling and working together. I will sell you forty apples for the same prize as the two dozen you were going to buy, but be sure to tell your friends how good my apples are, Ok, Ma'am?"

What some would consider an act of generosity, to me it was an act of advertising himself. I could already tell several people around the area would buy more fruit from him, if only because he appeared to care about his customers.

Now the furs are all covered in apples, and Holo is eating one after another. "My guess is that you particularly love apples. But if you eat too many of them on a single time you will get sick of them, how about you let me do something I know you will love."

She looked at me and then at the apples remaining on the cart. "Are you telling me you will do something that will make these apples taste even better? You better not be lying to me, Food is serious business."

I decided to go towards a baker friend of mine and with the promise he could keep half of the apples on the cart, he pretty much promised that the first three pies that were made from the same apples would be mine free of charge.

I just sat down on a small table enjoying some apple cider and waited for the apple pies to finish cooking. It took them a few minutes, and my dearly beloved was getting anxious if the way her foot tapping on the floor was any indication.

Finally the three pies were done and they had the foresight to only boxing two of them. I saw the look on Holo's face as I cut her a slice of it. One bite that is all it took for her to smile like a miner hitting a gold deposit.

"See I told you, you would love it. We still got two more of them for tonight and tomorrow. See, you should trust your husband a little more."

My friend came and looked at me with a smile, "So tell me Lawrence did you wife like my apple pies? I never pictured you for being one to get married."

She was always friendly and god knows I would have never thought that one of my kind was a baker, but sure enough she was a werewolf just like me.

She had short blonde hair in a hair net. She always had a lovely figure, and that was surprising since she was also the mother of six kids. "And I never imagined that you gave birth to six kids and still manage to keep your figure."

She laughed and slapped me on my back several times, "Hey my job isn't as easy as yours is Lawrence. You only buy and sell things, I have a lot more work as a baker I will have you know and raising six kids is by no means easy."

Holo stopped eating and began to glare at my friend. "Lawrence mind telling me why is she so friendly with you?" Ah, it seems the ugly green monster called Jealousy had to rear it's ugly head here.

"I know Lawrence since he was a young pup, he used to buy my father's pies since they often sell for good prices. All he had to do to get them was work in the mill. You should really thank my family, it's thanks to us that you got a hunk for a husband."

I looked at her and smiled, "Better eat your pie before it get's cold. To answer you question there is room for only one person in my heart. I am a wolf after all, you really should remember that sometimes. You know of our mating practices."

My friend Sylvia just laughs as I finished saying that, "You don't need to worry about me trying to take your man, Holo. I have one of my own, and I always did think of Lawrence here as sort of a little brother. Thanks for bringing us those apples Lawrence we were running low on them."

We both left feeling in different ways, I felt embarrassed from all the things Sylvia and Holo talked about, and Holo felt happy and her hunger satisfied thanks to my old friend's baking skill. She was not kidding either, we left with two apple pies to take back with us.

Holo decided to let me carry the pies, while she pressed herself against my side as we walked towards the hotel. "So your old childhood friend achieved her dream of becoming a baker, I still get the feeling that she had a crush on you in the past."

"Holo that is not possible, you know when I started working there I was already a werewolf, and we both know how the church feels about that. How many times do I have to tell you, I love you and I want to be only with one person in an intimate and romantic relationship and that person is you."

She laughed and I could see her ears moving under her cowl. "I know husband, I am only teasing you. I will however not deny that it makes me happy hearing you say that. So where are we going to sell these furs?"

We both got on our cart and I decided to let her hold onto the pies from that moment on, "I happen to be friends with a nice trading company. I figured they would be more willing to pay me the best price for these furs. They are by the port. They are called Milo Trading."

As we road towards the port I knew she actually ate one of the pies, and was saving me a piece of the last pie. The docks were always busy with trade being loaded and unloaded from ships. Be they big or small there were ships of all sizes and headed towards many destinations.

As our cart came to a stop I began to walk towards one of my business contacts, and he indeed was quite happy to see me. "Kraft Lawrence, It's nice to see you again. You wouldn't be carrying any furs on you? One of our tanners ran out and we are in a bind. We need at least sixty quality furs to have enough for a large shipment."

I guess fortune was smiling on me today, "Come on over and have a look. I just happen to have more than enough to save your company some trouble. I also took your advice, Why don't you say hello to my loving wife Holo?"

He looked at Holo and I could almost see a bit of pity in his eyes, "So you are the woman that is unfortunate enough to marry Lawrence, I offer my most heartfelt condolences. He is quite the pain sometimes."

I was glaring at my friend, "Well if you think I am such a pain to deal with, then I can always sell these furs to another company." One look at the furs we were carrying he grabbed me and the look of panic on his face was quite priceless.

"Nonsense Lawrence you know I was just teasing. I normally offer you one hundred and thirty-eight silver Trenni silver coins, but since you are always honest with us, and there is such a high demand. I will offer you one hundred and fifty-two Trenni silver."

I was lucky indeed, and I took some of the money and deposited the rest in the bank operated the trade association I was a member of. You really shouldn't carry that much money on you in this day and age.

I decided to go straight for an Inn and allow my beloved to rest. Riding in a cart can tire anyone and she was no exception. "So tell me Lawrence why was that man not uncomfortable with your presence? I usually get the impression that most werewolves are treated with distrust if not outright fear."

I looked at her as she began eating her stew, she was seated right next to me. "It's quite simple my love, I been trading with them for quite some time, and I am always honest to those that are honest with me. The price he paid for those furs was an exceptional rate, and would you like another drink?"

She put down her tankard on the table as she finished taking a drink from it. "So that is why you took that much money with us. You knew I was hungry and wanted to provide for me. You are far too considerate Lawrence, indeed you are quite the troublesome man."

I leaned close to her and as my mouth moved close to her ear I decided to tell her something special, "I am considerate, but I am extra so with you cause I love you."

She looked quite happy about me telling her that, until a couple decided to come and sit in the same table than us. They sat in the seats in front of ours. "So tell me what brings you two to this port city? I don't believe we ever seen you here."

I smiled and try to be as casual as ever, "I happen to be a trader by profession, and thus I just finished selling my furs. We are celebrating our good fortune, this lovely lady next to me is the love of my life, Holo."

His wife laughed and she too ordered a drink much like Holo did. "You two must be newlyweds to still be so lovey-dovey with each other. I can just picture you two arguing about something that later will seem trivial. I been married with my husband for over two decades so trust me, I know of what I speak."

Holo took a drink from her tankard and leaned close to me. "Oh, we are quite different than your run of a mill couples. You see for we are wolves, and as such our union is much more intimate than most couples. We do argue sometimes, but then again we are most productive since we never hide our opinions on anything to each other."

The man looked to be quite happy to hear that, "Good to meet a nice werewolf family. One of my relatives is a werewolf and he lies like there is no tomorrow. Feel like talking shop?"

I looked at him and wondered what he meant. "I own a vineyard, and so selling wine is my trade. So tell me Lawrence how do you deal with all these bandits that are on the roads these days?"


	4. Chapter 4

This is a spice and wolf fanfiction only.

As I looked at him I knew there was more to this man than being a simple owner of a vineyard. "Actually, I don't carry any money with me on my travels. I buy merchandise from an association or a producer, thus I carry no money to attract the attention of any robbers. I may be a werewolf, immortal I am not. There is also the fact that my wife travels with me. What kind of a man would I be to place the love on my life in needless danger?"

He looked at his own wife and nodded his head, "Indeed, it is hard enough having them endure the toils and discomfort of all this traveling. Since you are such an honest person, I feel like I should share with you a little information I got from a town merchant down south."

"I heard that this nation is going to reissue their coins, and it could be that they are planning to increase the silver purity in their coins. I already began buying as many Trenni silver coins as I can, since if they increase in value it would net me a tidy profit. Since you are a traveling merchant I would advise you to do the same. It could never hurt to have a nice nest egg after all."

I looked at the situation and knew there was more to this information than he was willing to disclose. I also notice that he had the emblem of a trade association that was direct rivals with Milo Trading and the association I was a member of.

This could easily be a trap to cause both the association I am a member of and Milo Trading to lose a lot of money and thus lessen our reputation among other independent merchants. If the life of a werewolf was fraught with dangers, the life of a traveling trader was no less dangerous.

Holo pretended to look bored and leaned close to me, "Well I am sorry, but I think I better take my beloved to bed, she seems quite bored, or simply tired. I do appreciate you sharing that information with me."

He looked at his own wife and smiled, "No problem, I think that I shall do the same. May the grace of god be with you on your travels." I didn't expect him to say that in the least.

"May god keep you safe as well." I stood up and helped Holo get up, as we walked towards the exit I could tell she was thinking about something. I guess I would have to wait to ask her once we were in the privacy of our room.

As soon as we were inside our rooms, she sat down on the bed. Looked at me and I knew a question was coming, how I knew that I don't know but I knew. "So do you think his information is credible? Or was he trying to deceive us?"

"His heartbeat never changed, and he honestly seems to think that he was doing a good deed from the way he behaved. I, however, am a trader, and I know that it could also be a scam done by an expert liar. So instead of wasting time on where it is or isn't, we are going tomorrow to a money handler I know. We should be able to determine if the information is true or not then."

Holo looked at me and smiled, "And if the information is true, we could contact that trading association we visited before, for sharing the information we could ask for a percentage of the profit of the deal. I guess being honest with that man from Milo Trading was not such a bad idea as I thought."

I decided to take off most of my clothes and get to bed, we had a lot of work tomorrow and I would need a clear mind. At least that was my intention until I felt someone grabbing from behind.

"Lawrence I need to know somethings if you don't mind. Why is the silver purity in the coin matter? Why are you in my bed? And do you honestly think of me as you wife?"

I decided to be direct since I really needed my sleep. "To the first, it's more to do with the prestige of a nation. The higher silver purity means that that nation is doing very well economically. A lower silver purity means that they are having some financial issues, and other nations might want to take advantage of that."

"To answer to the last two, you are my mate, my wife and since you are such this also happens to be my bed. Human concepts of marriage always seem to change with time, but we wolves the concept remains the same no matter what year it is. Now I really need my sleep, or I am liable to kill Wis when I see him."

I closed my eyes and began to dream of the forest lands Holo described, it was indeed beautiful but suddenly it changed, the forest was clear cut, the land had countless of mines, and several small cities stood where the forest once was. The people killed most of the wolves and had grazing animals and a few farms.

I woke up the next day and looking at my own waist I saw her arm holding me tightly. I guess I wasn't the only one that had a nightmare. As we got dressed and ate breakfast we began to walk towards the bridge where most of the money handlers did their business.

I could recognize Wis from at least a hundred yards away, he always wore that sickening lotion that smelled of flowers. I knew full well that it was not his lotion, more than likely he slept with a few unfortunate married women if the way he smelled was any indication.

As I walked over to his little place of business, honestly it was a scale and a box for packing fruit. "Lawrence it is always a pleasure to see you, and who might your lovely companion be?" He touched her hand trying to act romantic. For a second I wanted to break that very hand, but I need some information so I simply decided to make him know I didn't appreciate the way he was holding Holo's hand.

I leaned down near his face and put my hand on his shoulder. "I have some business to discuss with you Wis." He took the hint and let her hand go. "It's always business with you Lawrence, can't you see I am busy getting to know this lovely young lady. You don't have a romantic bone in your entire body, shame on you."

I was getting more and angrier, "I do have a romantic side but business comes first. Now tell me has there been any new Trenni silver coins issued recently?" He still was looking at Holo, I think my foolish friend is developing a death wish, and if he even tries to kiss my wife I will happily grant him that wish.

"Yes, there has been a new silver coin issued recently, before I answer anything else you need to answer my questions too. Who is this lovely lady to you? Have you slept with her? And if you haven't minded if I do?"

Now I was mad enough that I was feeling my teeth begin to change even as I tried to control my anger. "This is Holo, and she is my wife. So if you even try to do to her what you do to those poor victims you visited today. I will make certain that the only woman you will see is the healer a few blocks from here for the next eight months."

Wis finally got the idea in that thick head of his, "What a shame, to monopolize such a beauty all to yourself. Why do you need to know if there was a new silver coin issued? It's not like it would hurt you since you deal with small items."

"The value of the silver coins might be less and that influences my profits. Is there any way to check if the silver purity in the new coins has changed? The only way that I can think of it melting one down." Wis looked quite puzzled by what I said, "Well I don't have the equipment necessary to do that. I guess we could weight them, but if the people making them are careful, they will add more iron to make up for the weight difference if they did reduce the amount of silver in the coins."

Holo decided to pick up two of the new coins and began to knock them against each other in her closed hands. She did the same with a pair of coins I had given to her to buy the apples. "Holo it's impossible to tell the difference just by hearing. I heard that several experience money handlers can do that, but I often believe it to be an old wives tales."

I saw her ears move almost as if her ears moved because she noticed something. "You are right, I can't tell the difference at all. Sorry to waste your time." He once again grabbed her hand and I felt like I needed to glare at him some more, this time, my teeth were changed and gave him what other merchants call my wolfish grin.

"Get your hands off my wife or I am relieving you of them." He immediately took off his hands looking rather afraid. As I walked away, "Be sure to join us for dinner tonight. It's my treat as thanks for helping me with my coin question."

Wis Immediately perked right up and asked if it would be in the same place. I told him where else would I mean? You always wanted to be comfortable in a place where you eat, especially if you were going to drink.

As we began walking towards our inn, I decided to ask why was Holo so chipper all of a sudden. "You can't hide anything from me, you were a little jealous back there, it is true males are foolish for feeling jealous and females are foolish for feeling happy about it. You could also tell, couldn't you? You with being partially transformed I imagine you heard the difference between the coins."

I smiled at her and placed my hand on her waist pulling her closer to me as we walked, "The new coins sounded duller than the ones I gave you. Which means the purity is not increasing but decreasing. This nation must be in need to increase the number of coins in circulation, which mean the nation is in financial trouble."

"The only way I can see that guy gaining is that I will go bankrupt when the value of my coins are less than what I sold to get them, I guess he wanted to get rid of potential competition. I still feel that there is more to this than simply the change in the amount of silver. There must be something else or he would not risk me telling my association about this."

Holo looked at me and told me why would it matter? I told her that a business may lie to a trader, but to lie to an association would mean having their reputation come into question, and if that association told any other their business would be ruined.

"Here is what I think, we have a stranger give you information on currency that will decrease in value, but he told you it would increase and that you should buy as much of the current currency as possible because according to him it would increase in value. Why would he tell you this, he doesn't owe you any favors, and he didn't ask for any money in exchange."

She stopped and she then decided to ask something completely different, "And why don't you trust your friend?" I leaned close to her and gave her a kiss on her lips, it was a brief kiss but I placed my head on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"It's because he is an unrepentant womanizer, he will attempt to sleep with any woman he finds attractive be they single or married. I happen to know of several marriages that he ruined by sleeping with the wife of a trading acquaintance or member of an association I know."

We got to the inn and sure enough, my friend was there and he even had the nerve to bring a bouquet of flowers. If there ever was a time I really wanted to kill a human, it most definitely was now, but the flirtatious, womanizing idiot was one of my oldest friends. I guess having a mate sort of changed me a little, and I became shall we say a bit more territorial especially when it came to Holo.

The dinner was pleasant and quick, as soon as we got back to our room she began kissing me and I somehow knew that something was happening. We decided to get in bed only wearing our underwear. As soon as we put the lights out, Holo got closer to me. "So you noticed the stench as much as I did. I guess being able to partially transform does have its benefits."

"I think they are half a dozen, something tells me they are after us since we discovered the scam that vineyard owner told us about." She nodded her head, "That and there are several ungrateful mongrels from the village I helped make their wheat fields more prosperous."

As soon as I heard someone come closer to our bed, I threw the blanket on then and grabbed Holo's hand. We jumped out the window which we left open for the cool breeze, but in reality, we left it open to have an escape route.

I knew the perfect place for us to seek aid from, and that was Milo Trading. It was owned by a noble I knew very well. As we ran we realized that there were other six people waiting around the inn. "Lawrence, I still stay and keep them occupied. You run for help." I looked at Holo and from the look on her face, she knew I would sooner die than leave her to these jackals.

"I have a better idea, you run to Milo Trading and tell them of the deal. Tell them that you are my wife and they will welcome you and protect you. I will catch up as soon as I am done eating these snacks." As soon as I finished that she had to ask what did I mean by snacks. I decided to go full out, and thanks to the fact the full moon was shining. I transformed into my full wolf form in a matter of seconds.

"If you value your lives, I would run. My husband can be quite protective of me." I heard her also change and run towards the trading house owned by Milo Trading. I also heard one of the masked morons say how much trouble could one guy give them. If only they knew what they were getting themselves into.


	5. Chapter 5

This is a spice and wolf fanfiction only.

Next thing I knew I found myself in a bed, and by the looks of it I been given some rather polite and caring treatment when I was out. My beloved was by my side and she was asleep. I breathed easier seeing that she was safe. A rather distinguish man I knew was sitting in a chair next to my bed.

"Good to see that you are alright, Lawrence. You are one of the few honest traders we are lucky enough to do business with, we sure didn't want to lose you. I am also glad to report that your wife is safe and free of any injury. I know how protective werewolves can be about their mates."

I smiled and nodded my head, "Thank you for helping us, but I don't think this is the end of it. These men were trying to stop us from coming to you with a rather interesting and risky deal. Could you please lend me some clothes so that I can tell you the details."

He laughed as he realized that indeed I was in my birthday suit under the sheets, and so was my dearly beloved for that matter. "I wouldn't worry, your wife placed an order with us for some clothes for you both. Considering this was an emergency we gladly provided the clothes free of charge. It's just to show how much having an honest trading relationship with you means to us."

As I finished getting dressed I followed the lord to his office where I sat down on a chair in front of his desk. "We came up with a rather interesting bit of information from an owner of a vineyard. He said that the Trenni silver coins were going to have an increase in the amount of silver."

"I looked into it with the help of a money handler I known for years, it turns out it was false. The new silver coins if my information is correct is not increasing the amount of silver in the coins, it is actually decreasing. Which can only mean the crown wants to purchase all the current silver coins, melt them and reissue them with less silver. This is to increase the number of coins in circulation."

"I imagine he was planning to have me as many of the old coins, and when the coin's value lessens to buy them from me so that I could minimize my losses. I, however, see it as an opportunity to do to make a profit. If we gather enough of the coins we can go directly to the crown and offer to sell them the old coins for a profit, or even a right."

He began scratching his goatee and smiled, "Indeed that sounds like a wonderful opportunity, and I do see the ability of my association to collect as many of the old coins as possible and quickly, but you could easily lie to us. I guess it proves me right again in trusting you. I will give you thirty percent of the profits for this deal. I would offer more but we will invest more time and resources than you."

I, of course, understood the reason and thus I had no reason to dispute it. Without their help, I would never gather enough coins to make any sizable amount to get a good enough profit. The association and its members could get thousands of more Trenni silver coins than I could alone.

"I think the reason the people that were after us is that they really want something special from the royal family. Somehow they didn't strike as people who want only money, my guess is that they want something like a trade right.

Richten looked at me and I knew he had the same suspicion. "We also heard that your wife mentioned that some of the people smelled familiar, as in people of the village she used to help. I am also guessing but I think it has something to do with the trade tariff on that village. If they could get rid of the wheat tariff they could make a higher profit from the sale of their wheat."

I had to admit I actually also helped that village quite a bit by buying an trading wheat from their village. I never made as much profit as I would have bought from other places, but this was my way to help those people. Chloe's father was also the head of that village and was a good friend of mine.

Now that I know they were behind this, I had a feeling that I needed a new place to buy wheat if I ever needed to buy it for future trading. "I know how heavy that tariff is, I traded with that village for years. Trying to hurt my beloved wife is not acceptable. Let's hope they leave for good because if they try to harm her again, I might not be as merciful as I was the last time."

Richten smiled and I saw him nod his head, "Indeed, I understand completely. Should someone try to harm my wife, well I would feel exactly the same way? You don't need to worry about a thing. We should have this whole deal ready in a matter of days. I do however need a favor from you, Lawrence."

I looked at him and waited to hear his request, just as I did Holo come into the office and sat right next to me. "As I said the deal with being complete in a couple of days, but it would be a lot easier if you lead the competition on shall we say a wild goose chase. My favor is for you to pretend to be escaping their pursuit through a rather unpopular escape passage and keep them busy for as long as you can."

I looked at him and smiled, "If you know so much about those of my kind, then you know how sensitive our noses are. I better see some nice profits since you are pretty much making me and my mate run through a sewer."

He laughed as he heard my words, "I wouldn't worry too much Lawrence, you will make quite a bit of money if what I think is going on is happening. Tell me did you hear about the new coins being issued by the royal family lately?"

So that is what is going on, the new coins must have a big change in the silver content. This could mean only two things, the country is trying to boast about its economic prosperity or on the worse case the royal family is in a real bind and need to make more coins since the country is in financial troubles. To go as far as to threaten my life and the life of Holo, my guess it's something bad.

"Don't you worry about me, worry more about how angry my mate is going to be after our little goose chase. I don't like this one bit, it almost feels like the royals are using us for something they want to keep secret."

I got up and walked over to the room where Holo was sleeping, she just looks so darn adorable when she is asleep I can't help myself. I leaned closer to her and gave her a kiss on her lips. The one that was surprised was me when she decided to wrap her arms around me and she pulled me back on the bed.

"So we are going to have to run through a sewer to buy that guy enough time to buy all the old silver coins, is that the plan lover?" I was again surprised as I saw her smiling face. She leaned close to me and I could feel her leaning on me, her flesh pressing against me and for a second there I just wanted to tell the whole world to stop, and just enjoy the feeling of being this close to her.

"Why are you so surprised Lawrence, I am Holo the Wise Wolf, after all, a scheme like this is child's play for me to figure out, and yes I would love to be able to settle down and raise a little family of our own, but let's face it. We will never be able to do that in a human city. We need to go to the lands of my birth, the forest is always kind to wolves and I think it might even be kind to you."

I helped her get off the bed and get dressed, alright she didn't need my help for that but let's face it I really just wanted to keep touching her some more. As we got dressed we boarded the shopping cart like we had planned, as soon as we got to a nice alley the driver looked at us from the window between the driver seat and the cargo compartment of the cart.

"You two get off here, just remember always take a left turn and may the goddess' light bless you. Keep in mind the rules of our kind Lawrence, let's hope you don't need them."

As the man open a manhole cover they lowered a step ladder from the opening they had on the cart for this exact purpose. The stench was horrible to humans, to me it was torture. Good thing I didn't eat breakfast, there is nothing like the smell of thousands of gallons of shit and piss to kill your appetite.

"What did he mean by the blessing of the goddess and the rules of your kind, Lawrence? I may be a wolf but I don't know that much of your kind it seems."

As we began to walk on the small pathway that the city made for men to do maintenance I kept looking at the path ahead, might as well tell her, she is my mate after all. "The blessing is part of the old werewolf faith, the moon is the goddess for those of my kind. As for the laws are you sure you want to talk about that here?"

From the way she was quiet, I guess she really wants to hear them, "Never mess with a werewolves family, business, ability to earn a living, prey, and always come to a werewolves aid when you hear the call. That is the laws of my kind Holo. Humans may call us monsters but we are more civil than they are, sometimes I think humans are the real monsters."

I kept going and it was after a little while that I heard a few dozen splashes, and I knew the hunt was on, and for once in my life, I was the one being hunted, or more specifically my mate was. I held her hand as I quicken the pace that we walked from a walking to a jog.

The quicker we ran the quicker it seems to the sound was getting closer to us, that was when we finally reached a dead end. The entire place was easy to see thanks to an opening that was made to allow rain to flow downward to prevent the streets from getting flooded.

"Holo, please forgive me for what I am about to do." I drew in a large breath and as I exhaled I let out a massive howl that could be heard all over the place. Immediately the hunting dogs cried in fright and began to run away from the men that were coming our way.

The men were covered in filth as they came towards us, each holding a weapon. "You will not get away from us now, we will have that demon and you can't stop us. We do this in the name of the one true god! Nothing you do will be able to stop us!"

I looked at him, "Not too long ago, I saw you. You were in a village I used to buy my wheat from. It's pretty hard not to notice that scent, even where I am, I can still smell that awful cheap after shave off yours. You call her demon, but for years you used to celebrate and worship her. You needed her to keep your wheat healthy, and now you call her a demon."

"Where was this supposed faith when she first appeared and kept your fields healthy? You didn't refuse her help and even made a festival to thank her for it. Did she need you? No, she never needed anything you did. She could have left any time but she would not abandon you cause she loved everyone in that village and looked after all of you."

I looked at them and I saw no shame for their words or actions till now. "She only left once she found out that you planned to betray her. A noble came to promise you a reward if you worked with him didn't he Chloe?"

"When selling wheat you can ask for any sort of currency, and you asked for a specific silver coin. I should have seen this coming, but I guess I too trusted your village a little too much. The king promised you and that company to buy all the old silver coins, for a favor. What did the church offer you to betray Holo?"

A young woman came out of hiding, she was hiding behind the men and of course, I always knew she was there, she did love to wear that perfume made from jasmine. "I always loved you, Lawrence, I always loved how smart you are. Yes, the royal family offered the village a deal we could not refuse. You always bought our wheat even under that heavy tariff."

She walked towards us and I saw she was holding a dagger in her hand. "You are right that they offered us a great deal Lawrence, they offered us to remove the tariff on the village's wheat sales. We always welcomed you because we have always been grateful to you for all the good you did for us, once the tariff is gone of course we will give you preferential treatment. You will make a lot of money trading our wheat Lawrence, there is no need to make excuses."

I don't know what was she talking about, why did she think I was making excuses. "I also made a deal with the church once we hand her over to them, we will be rewarded with a vast amount of money. We can open that shop you always wanted, the village always considered you one of us, so of course they would be happy to have your shop there."

She walked closer to us, "There is no more need to lie, and to feel ashamed Lawrence. We all know there is no such a thing as werewolves. Once we hand her over and this deal is done, we can be happy now, we can even get married, Lawrence."

I guess I still have lots to learn about humanity, this was one outcome I would never have believed unless I saw it happen like it was. "The days of worshiping a spoiled and selfish goddess is no more. Once we get rid of her, we and the village can live happier and more prosperous lives."

I felt Holo hold my clothes from behind my back, I looked at her and smiled to make sure she knew that she had no reason to be afraid of. I looked at the men wearing those disguises and that mask, how could I have been so wrong about them? How can I call them my friends when they threaten my mate like this?

"This lady with me is my mate, and you say that I lied? That I made excuses out of shame? You forgot the first rule as a merchant, honesty in your dealings, fairness in your prices, and above all else protect that which you consider precious. I think it's about time you learn the truth about me and don't ever complain about your actions demanded it.

I began to unbutton my clothes and they began to fall off my body as my body began to be covered in fur, my mouth began to stretch and soon I was on all fours, I looked at the place and I could see every detail of that dead end. There was nothing that they could hide, their fear and anger were easy for me to smell.

"So you really are one of the moon children, after all, it was never a lie, you really are one of those moon loving monsters. I should thank you for your honesty Lawrence, but I have to do what I have to do. If you are not going to be mine, I will not let her have you."

She threw the dagger at Holo and I had seconds before I covered her with my body, I felt the dagger hit me in my back and I felt the pain that could only mean this was no ordinary dagger, it was made of silver. The pain was too much, and as everything went black I felt hit the stone floor as I heard Holo growl.


End file.
